Being Human with Steve Cuss

Join Steve Cuss and author Ellen Vaughn, who once rode a rusty, cracked-fuselage Russian helicopter across Cambodia—and arrived to hear children from a local church orphanage singing “This Is the Day” in English, as they unpack stories from God’s Expansive Kingdom. Ellen’s chat with Steve captures the stories behind her book What Jesus Started: churches thriving in places marked by poverty, persecution, and violence. Vaughn reflects on what she learned from believers who don’t expect life to be easy, including the astonishing freedom of a Rwandan pastor who forgave the neighbor who killed members of his family. She also talks candidly about her husband Lee’s decade-long battle with brain cancer, Chuck Colson’s publishing integrity, and why the church must remain independent of political power.More from Ellen Vaughn:

Ellen Vaughn’s What Jesus Started: The World-Changing Power of the Local Church

More about C.S. Lewis Institute

More about The Killing Fields

Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship

Charles Colson with Ellen Santilli Vaughn’s The Body

Episode Resources:

More about Ellen Vaughn

Ellen Vaughn’s Being Elisabeth Elliot: The Authorized Biography: Elisabeth’s Later Years

Ellen Vaughn’s Becoming Elisabeth Elliot

Scripture Referenced:

Genesis 28:16 (ESV)

John 1:5 (ESV)

Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

Philippians 1:21 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (ESV)

John 16:33 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

Isaiah 45:7 (ESV)

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Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives
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In 2016, doctors gave young mother Jackie Aviles six months to live. As cancer spread through her bones and lymph nodes, she prepared her children for her death and even chose a casket. Now, ten years cancer-free, Jackie tells Steve how faith, medicine, grief, and what she describes as God’s supernatural healing shaped her family’s journey. Jackie and her husband, pastor Emilio, also faced the pain of leading a church while grieving—and learned that listening can matter more than offering easy reassurance. Their conversation explores hope when healing doesn’t come, the difference between caring and carrying, and why peace may matter more than clarity.

More from Jackie Aviles:

Jackie Aviles’ website

Learn about Embassy Church

Episode Resources:

More about Matt Chandler

Learn about the Bright City Church team

Scripture Referenced:

2 Corinthians 4 ESV

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 ESV

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

Romans 5:3–5 ESV

Philippians 4:7 ESV

Romans 8:28 ESV

Philippians 1:21 ESV

Philippians 1:6 ESV

Isaiah 40:31 ESV

Isaiah 53:5 ESV

Mark 4:35–41 ESV

John 15:5 ESV

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive Capable Life Intensives
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Bad news isn’t the main story of the church. On Being Human, Steve Cuss talks with pastor Ryan Keating and Resource Global founder Tommy Lee about faith in action—from feeding thousands of refugees in Turkey to equipping Christian leaders and expanding access to education in Indonesia. As part of the “God’s Expansive Kingdom” series, these conversations explore global ministry, faith and work, and the lasting impact of small, faithful investments in people. Discover how noticing God at work can interrupt anxiety, renew hope, and help you see fresh possibilities in your own community.

Episode Resources:

Learn about & support Resource Global

Learn about Fellowship Church in Connecticut

Learn about Doctor Share

Timothy Keller’s Every Good Endeavor

More about Tommy Lee

More about Ryan Keating

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive

Capable Life Intensives

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In this recap episode of Being Human, hosts Steve and Lisa Cuss explore how God's kingdom expands through mental health ministry and spiritual formation. They highlight innovative church-based counseling models, including a "clinic in a box" concept, and community mental health collectives. The episode features interviews with clinical counselor Alex Thompson and Doug McKelvie, writer of the Every Moment Holy liturgy series. They discuss how ancient prayers provide grounding for modern struggles. Steve and Lisa also share personal stories of global ministry encounters, life-giving habits, and the power of liturgical prayer to connect believers across generations and cultures.

Episode Resources:

Learn about: Women Leaders Alliance

Build your Life Giving List

Partner with Cumberland Counseling Centers

Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy

Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage

Book of Common Prayer (online version)

Thomas Keating’s contemplative prayer

Explore the Hope Collective

More from Alexandra Thompson:

More about Alexandra Thompson, LCSW

More from Douglas McKelvey:

Every Moment Holy Website

Every Moment Holy Liturgy Downloads

Every Moment Holy Live Experience

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive

Capable Life Intensives

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In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss speaks with Douglas McKelvey, author of the Every Moment Holy series—books offering liturgical prayers for everyday and significant life moments. Both share personal journeys from skepticism toward formal liturgy to discovering its deep spiritual value. Douglas recounts how the Book of Common Prayer transformed his faith during a period of theological uncertainty, while Steve reflects on his experience as a hospital chaplain. They explore the power of communal liturgy, the specificity of prayers for modern moments, and how Douglas's latest volume, Rites of Passage, helps young adults connect with God throughout life's transitions.

Episode Resources:

Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy

Douglas McKelvey’s Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage

Book of Common Prayer (online version)

More about Andrew Peterson

Scripture Referenced:

Psalm 131 ESV

More from Douglas McKelvey:

Every Moment Holy Website

Every Moment Holy Liturgy Downloads

Every Moment Holy Live Experience

Sign up for Steve’s Newsletter & Podcast Reminders

Capable Life Newsletter

Get the Assets & Liabilities pdf and the Life Giving List

Join Steve at an Upcoming Intensive

Capable Life Intensives
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